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(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

- O. LEVER.

ELECTRIC ARC LIGHT. No. 322,115. V Patented July 14, 1885.

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(No Model.) I 3 Sheets8heet 2. 0. 1113111111.,

BLEOTRIG ARC LIGHT.

No. 322.115. Patented July 14, 1885.

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71mm fzjj MO QW acg (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. LEVER.

ELEOTRIG ARC LIGHT.

Patented July 14, 1885.

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CHARLES LEVER, OF BOWVDON,

COUNTY OF CHESTER, ENGLAND.

ELECTRIC-ARC LlGl-l'l.

E PECJIFICATION forming part of Letter Application filed December 12,1882.

Patent No. 322,115. dated July 1 1-, 1885.

(No modcLl Patented in England May 3, 1882, No. 2,092; in France November 3, 1882, No.

151,896; in Belgium November 4,1882, No. 59,473, and in Canada October '26, 1883, No. 17,984.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CrmRLEs LEVER, of Bowdon, in the county of Chester, England, have invented an Improvement in Electric- Arc Lamps, of which the following is a speciiication.

Letters Patent for this invention have been granted in Great Britain, dated May 3, 1882, No. 2,092; France,deposited November 3,1882, granted February 8, 1888, No. 151,896; Belgium, deposited November 4, 1882, granted November 15, 1882, No. 59,473, and Canada, dated October 26, 1888, No. 17,984.

This invention has for its object improvements in electric lamps where the light results from the electric current passing between points or pencils of carbon.

The way I accomplish this invention is by commencing in an inverse manner to that usually employed in electricarc lamps-i. 6., the carbon electrodes in the lamp do not make contact with each other before the electric current is sent through the lamp. The reason of this will be described hereinafter.

Instead of employing an electro-magnet or solenoid in the main circuit to separate the carbon points for the production of the voltaic are, as is usually the case, I employ an armature-lever, in combination with a spring, gaseous, or liquid pressure, to separate the carbon points to the required distance for the display of the voltaic are, this distance being regulatcd by means of a setscrew acting on the said armature-lever and limiting its move ment; Acting on the opposite end of this armature-lever, and in an opposite direction to the spring, gaseous, or fluid pressure, is an elcctro-magnet in a shunt-circuit of a considerable greater resistance than that of the are from which it is shunted or derived. The ac mature-lever is free to move on a pivot or fulcrum pin fixed to the casting, preferably of brass or other diamagnetic metal. This casting formsa frame that supports the shunt electromagnet and clip or other deviceby which the said armature-lever can raise the upper-car bon holder,which slides through the said casting, by means of the said spring, gaseous or fluid pressure.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is an elevation,

partly in section, of a portion of an arc lamp fitted with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the arclainp complete. Fig. 3 is asectional elevationillustrating how fluidpressure may be used to raise and support the upper carbon. Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations, at right angles to each other, of a double-carbon lamp iitted with my improvement; and Fig. (i is an elevation of part of the cutout device shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to Fig. 1, Ais an armature-lever, upon one end of which rests loosely a clip, B. This clip is simply a metal washer encircling the uppercarbon holder G, and which the upper carbon holder to fall, by gravity, when the clip is at right angles to the said carbon-holder. At the other end of the armature-lever A is attached the spring D, the force of which can be regulated by any suitallows able means, such as adjusting the tension of the spring by a screw, E. The spring D must have,however,sufficient force on the armaturelever A, when no current is flowing through the lamp, to raise the upper-carbon holder 0, with its carbon pencil, by means of the armature-lever A and clip B, to the required distance for the display of the voltaic are.

G is a set-screw for adjusting the movement of the lever A and the length of the arc.

Nhen the lamp is not in use, the carbon points are separated by means of the said spring D acting on said armature-lover A, so that when the electric current is sent through the lamp, the circuit of low resistance through the carbons being broken by their not maxing contact with each other, all the current momentarily goes through the shunt electromagnet F; but immediately this takes place the shunt electro-magnet becomes so powerfully magnetized that it overcomes the force of the spring D on the armature-lever A, which raises the upper-carbon holder C, and it attracts the armature-lever A, thus loosening the clip B and allowing the upper-carbon holder 0 to fall by gravity until the upper-carbon pencil comes into contact with the lower carbon. As soon, however, as the carbons come in contact the shunt electro-magnet F loses nearly all its magnetism, the main circuit having then been closed, and consequently the spring ,D' raises the upper-carbon holder fall until an equilibrium is established between the shuntelectromagnet F and the force of the spring D. This action takes place until the carbons are consumed.

justed by means of a stop-cock on a tube. Fig. 3 shows such a modification in which the spring D is dispensed with, and instead of it I usea cylinder with a piston having its pistonrod D connected to the ar Theliqtud-such as mercury-is supplied from the reservoir D the supply being regulated as required by the tap D.

Fig. 2 shows an electric lamp complete constructed according to my inventiombut where the armature-lever A, Fig. 1, is replaced by a lever, L, preferably of diamagnetic material. The armature A. is here fixed at the same end of the lever L as the spring D.

E is the nut spring D, and I a projection attached to the lever L, which cants or tilts the clip 13 by means of spring D.

G is the set-screw, for adjusting the length ol'arc.

The iron screws J J, with large hcads,passi ng through the armature A, serve as adjustable pole-pieces, and can be secured by means of lock-nuts JJ.

R is the dash pot, and S S are the bindingscrews, from which the electro -magnet is shunted or derived. The current entering at the positive binding-screw the insulated flexible magnets F F are connected to the bindingscrews S S, thus placing in derivation from the are.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the spiral spring D and armature-lever A are replaced by a flat spring, D, and armature A, the said spring being fixed for adjusting the tension of the to the frame H, and operating on the clip B, as already described.

I prefer to use the flat spring on lamps having two or more sets of carbons, although it can be used in a single carbon lamp.

It will be seen that any number of arclamps constructed according to this invention can be worked in series or single circuit as well as in multiple are or parallel circuit, because the regulation of the arc is effected solely in a shunt-circuit, and the lamps can be worked either by continuous or alternate currents; but the former are preferred as being more economical.

In order to prevent the are forming between the carbon-holder and the lower-carbon point, should by accident one of the carbons fall out in Fig. 5, g4 is aside view. On the top of the brass frame H, which contains the shunt eleetro-magnet F F and armature, and also the spring D, which raises the upper-carbon holder 0 and pencil, is fixed a device similar to that used in small a small metal rod, M, capable of rotating on its axis through a U-shaped piece of metal, N, cast on the top of the said brass frame H. A slot, at, is cut into this U-shaped piece of metal, as shown in the detail view, Fig. 6,and the small metal rod M is bent at right angles outside one of the open ends of this U-piece N. Between the two inside ends of the U- piece of metal is a spiral spring, M, sliding on the said metal rod M, and which can give the metal rod a longitudinal motion when its bent arm at comes over the slot n in N. At the end of the metal rod opposite to the bent arm m, and outside the U piece, is formed or attached a small conical or flat piece of metal, M and at a short distance from this piece of metal M is a metallic piece, 0, insulated from the brass frame H, but connected by means of a wire or slip, Q, of low resistance with the second carbon-holder, O, (or if applied to a single carbon lamp with the negative bindingserew of the lamp.) The bent arm at of M is at the outer end of the U-piece N nearest to the upper-carbon holder 0, and the said carbon-holder O has a brass flange or rim, P, fixed at its upper end, so that when the brass flange or rim P comes into contact with the bent arm of the metal rod M, the weight of the carbon- 0 rod a slight rotary movement. The bent arm at is, however, adjusted a little higher than the slot at in the U- piece, so that when the flange or rim P on the upper-carbon holder 0 comes into contact with the bent arm m, through the descent of said carbon-holder, it turns said arm until it comes opposite the said slot n, when the spring M draws the arm into the slot,and thereby gives the metal rod M alongitudinal movement and brings its end M into contact with the metal piece 0.

It will be seen that the arc in the first pair of carbons is by this means cut out, and when the springs D D, or fluid or gaseous pressure, whichever are used, raise the upper-carbon holder 0, the are cannot be formed between the said carbon-holder O and the lower-carbon pencil, or vice versa, because the main current will then flow through the new circuit which has been formed by the cut-out device-viz., from the binding-screw of the lamp through the brass casting and metal rod through the contact of the two metallic pieces, M and O, to the second carbon-holder,C,by means of the insulate slip Q of low resistance. Many other devices could be used for this purpose.

In a double carbonlamp,when the first pair of carbons are consumed, the cut-out device described can thus be used to switch the current from the first pair of carbons, G, to the second pair, 0.

This principle of regulation solely by means of a spring and a shunt-magnet or solenoid is applicable to the devices described in the specification of my Patent No. 255,521, dated March 28, 1882.

I do not claim in an electric-arc lamp an electro-magnet for drawing the arc in opposition to the action of a spring upon the leverarmature of said magnet. Neither do I claim a feed-regulating mechanism for electric-are lamps consisting of an electro-magnet and a permanent magnet opposed in their action, the electro-magnet being in a shunt-circuit around the are.

I do not claim the combination of a magnet in a shunt-circuit and a eounterpoised armature-lever having a pawl pivoted to it and acting with a second counterpoised armaturelever carrying the carbon-holder as the means for regulating the feed of the upper carbon.

I claim as my invention 1. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of a tube holding the movable carbon, a clutch surrounding said carbon-tube, apivoted leverarmature adapted to bear against said clutch, a spring to lift up the pivoted lever-armature to form the are, and a shunt electro-magnet to attract the lever-armature in opposition to said spring and serving to regulate the arc, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric-are lamp, the cut-out device or switch consisting of projection I? on carbon-holder O, in combination With the arm m, rod M, bracket N, having a slot, n, the spring M, metallicpieee M insulated metallic piece 0, and bar Q, connected with the carbonholder 0 or the negative binding-screw of the lamp, substantially as described.

CHARLES LEVER.

\Vitnesses:

ARTHUR (J. HALL, ALBERT E. HALL,

U. S. Consulate, Manchester, Ely land. 

